Blaise Smith > Weightmans > Leeds, England > Lawyer Profile

Blaise Smith

0113 213 [email protected] View profile

Position

Blaise is a partner in Weightmans’ large loss team in Leeds. He handles catastrophic injury and major property damage claims for insurers.

He has 42 years’ experience in all aspects of personal injury and insurance litigation. He has particular experience in head and spinal injury claims, fatal accidents and policy disputes and fire claims.

Blaise was a Medical Working Party member for the IUA UK Bodily Injury Awards Study (2003).

Blaise has handled fatal and catastrophic injury claims arising not only from accidents on the road, in the workplace and from defective premises and products, but also from hot air ballooning, gliding, paragliding, horse riding, a miniature train ride and ‘welly-wanging’.

He also handled multi-party litigation arising out of the Bradford fire, the loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise, the Hillsborough stadium disaster, the Myodil pharmaceutical claims and the Dingle Tunnel collapse. Other notable cases include litigation arising out of the finding of the Middleham Jewel and the fire which destroyed the Football Association’s former headquarters at Lancaster Gate. Other fire claims include sauna, gym, school, restaurant, supermarket, home and factory fires.

Reported cases include:

Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [1992] 1 A.C 310 (liability for psychiatric injury)

Crabtree v Wilson [1993] PIQR Q24, CA (assessing damages for dependency); and

Blair-Ford v CRS Adventures [2012] EWHC 2360 (QB) (risk assessment, foreseeability, Compensation Act, section 1)

Thewlis v Groupama [2012] EWHC 3 (TCC) ( CPR part 36)

Whitehead v Bruce and others [2013] EWCA Civ 229 ( RTA apportionment of liability; Court of Appeal)